Intellectual PropertyRSS

  • December 6, 2005

    Toshiba, Fresh From Win In Lexar Case, Will Still Appeal

    Although it may have seemed like a huge victory, Toshiba Corp. said it will appeal a California judge’s ruling that vacated the $465 million settlement originally awarded to Lexar in the trade secrets litigation between the two companies.

  • December 5, 2005

    Smartcard Patent Holder Takes On Nokia, Time Warner

    A lone inventor from North Carolina has sued a slew of major companies in the communications and cable television industries, from Time Warner Cable Inc. and Directv Inc., to Research In Motion Corp. and Nokia Inc. The assemblage is accused of infringing a single patent for the automated billing and tracking of service usage.

  • December 5, 2005

    Panasonic, Matsushita Settle Dispute With Acacia

    Acacia Research Corporation has reached a settlement with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. and Panasonic Corp. of North America, ending patent infringement litigation over audio/visual enhancement and synchronization technology.

  • December 5, 2005

    IBM, Compuware Extend $400M settlement

    The terms of one of the biggest settlements of 2005 have been extended, with tech giant IBM and software company Compuware agreeing to a payment schedule that gives IBM until 2010 to pay the totality of the $400 million settlement reached in March.

  • December 5, 2005

    Fujitsu, Patriot Head Back To Court Over Chip Patents

    Computer maker Fujitsu Corp. has asked a court to declare that its products do not infringe semiconductor patents partially controlled by Patriot Scientific, adding yet another lawsuit to the skirmish over Patriot’s chip patents.

  • December 2, 2005

    Toshiba Wins New Trial In $465M Dispute With Lexar

    In a victory for Toshiba Corp., the Japanese electronics maker has won the reversal of a $465.4 million verdict awarded to Lexar Media Inc. in a trade secrets dispute over flash-memory technology.

  • December 2, 2005

    Cambridge Inventors Resist U.S.-Style IP Deal

    Shifting toward a U.S. style of handling intellectual property, Cambridge University is stirring controversy by signaling a move toward a regimental approach to patents similar to a corporation.

  • December 2, 2005

    Xerox Continues To Profit From Trade Secrets, Suit Says

    A complicated lawsuit filled with heated allegations has been filed against Xerox, accusing the company of misappropriating trade secrets, copyright infringement, breaching an agreement, and breaching fiduciary duty.

  • December 2, 2005

    Barr, Organon Pen Mircette "Authorized Generic" Deal

    Pharmaceutical company Organon has given generics maker Barr Pharmaceuticals the green light to produce its own version of Organon’s Mircette, an oral contraceptive, becoming the latest in Barr’s string of authorized generics agreements.

  • December 2, 2005

    Abbott Labs Sued By Activists Over AIDS Drug Patents

    Launching a new attack on Abbott Laboratories Inc.’s control of the lucrative AIDS treatment Kaletra, a group of international organizations has sued the pharmaceutical company in a Brazilian court to invalidate its patents for the drug.

  • December 1, 2005

    USPTO Rejects One Of NTP's BlackBerry Patents

    Only a day after a judge threw out the settlement agreement between Blackberry maker Research in Motion Ltd. and NTP Inc., the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected one of the five patents at the center of the dispute.

  • December 1, 2005

    Refco's Patent Fight With Trading Technologies Settled

    Settling two contentious patent lawsuits, Trading Technologies International Inc. penned an agreement with British brokerage firm Man Group PLC and its U.S. subsidiary Man Financial Inc. that are set to buy up remnants of defunct Refco.

  • December 1, 2005

    Kodak Targeted In Suit Over Data Transfer Patents

    A Cayman Islands-based limited partnership that has asserted its patents against over 40 software and electronics companies has now set its sights on Eastman Kodak.

  • December 1, 2005

    HP Alleges Former Employees Stole Company Secrets

    Computer maker Hewlett-Packard has accused several former employees of pulling a “multi-million dollar swindle,” alleging that the employees stole HP technology and set up their own electronics company. The scheme cost HP more than $100 million, according to the company.

  • December 1, 2005

    E.U. OKs Compulsory Licensing For Drug Exports

    In a move that will allow generics to be exported to developing countries under strict conditions, The European Parliament approved Thursday a European Commission proposal for compulsory licensing of patented drugs.

  • November 30, 2005

    ITC Withdraws Remand In Disposable Camera Case

    A remand proceeding in the extended fight over the patents for disposable cameras that resulted in an injunction against more than 20 companies has officially been terminated from the U.S. International Trade Commission, putting an end to six years of litigation.

  • November 30, 2005

    In Blow To RIM, Judge Tosses Out BlackBerry Settlement

    Research In Motion has been dealt another blow in its ongoing battle with NTP over patents for its BlackBerry handheld device, with a judge throwing out a $450 million settlement between the two companies reached in March.

  • November 30, 2005

    Acacia Takes Aim At Hospitals With New Patent Portfolio

    Acacia Research Corp. has bought another patent portfolio, setting the stage for a likely slew of lawsuits and licensing deals with cutting edge healthcare technology that’s increasingly popular in hospitals around the world.

  • November 30, 2005

    NEC Battles For Jurisdiction In Drawn-Out Chip Suit

    Japanese consumer electronics firm NEC Corp. is striking back at a U.S. patent holding firm this week with a countersuit over microprocessor technology, seeking to yank litigation out of plaintiff-friendly Eastern Texas and back to California where it started.

  • November 29, 2005

    Tiny Engine Maker Secures Funds For Suit Vs. Toyota

    Tiny electric engine maker Solomon Technologies Inc., whose patent infringement suit against auto giant Toyota stalled due to troubles financing the litigation, will proceed after the company secured funds to continue pressing its case.